Life of an Architect

JANUARY 14, 2019

On January 14th, 2010 my life was irrevocably changed, mostly for the better, when I decided to start a blog site and start talking about what it meant to be, and work with, an architect. In 2011 I wrote 159 articles and in 2012 that trend continued … I only wrote 96 articles.

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Site Mining Modern Architect 62

Life of an Architect

FEBRUARY 22, 2015

Pull up a chair, order your favorite drink, and let me tell you about architecture in the “ real ” world. I thought I would try to make this an upbeat article but as I sit down to write it, I’m not so sure how successful a job I am going to do (good thing we’re drinking here, right?)

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Architecture Architecture School Clients Client 111

A Better Built Environment

MARCH 1, 2021

What are the lessons I have learned from starting a firm, working for other people, and serving residential clients over the past 10 years? What are my design values and how can I attract clients that share these values? This then allows me to better serve the clients I work with. Fixed-fees address many of these issues.

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Clients Client Inspiration Home 52

EntreArchitect

FEBRUARY 20, 2018

My intention in writing this article is to raise awareness of the importance of being good mentors with the junior staff in your office. In a few short years, I evolved from being a junior architecture staff working for everyone else to a licensed architect with interns and junior staff suddenly reporting to me. It Took a Village.

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EntreArchitect

AUGUST 30, 2016

This post is my contribution to an international blog series called #ArchiTalks. This month, the #ArchiTalks topic is “Back to School”, so I am encouraging my fellow small firm architects to go back to school themselves and learn what they need to know to find the work they want and live a life they’ll love. Who are you?

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Architect Small Firm Firms Information 52

A Better Built Environment

FEBRUARY 7, 2021

It was rarely heard in architectural school or during design studio critiques. when architecture reached modern times, the very word beauty became taboo. This article is pointing out how the current situation and future plan still prioritizes space for cars over people but I feel it is at least a step in the right direction.

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Cities Modern Environment Diagram 52

EntreArchitect

NOVEMBER 26, 2014

This week, I am sharing blogging duties with a friend and active supporter of Entrepreneur Architect. He is the founder of Young Architect, a blog featuring articles about design, the architecture registration exam , entrepreneurship, and his journey as a young architect. Your Interns Could Be Your Future Clients.

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Students Architecture School Client Clients 52

EntreArchitect

MAY 11, 2015

The encouraging footnote to that figure is that, of the businesses that start with a client on day one, the failure rate drops to just 2 out of every 10. It’s going to take time to fill your boards with work, to build a client base, and a referral network of trusted contacts. There won’t be one. Lesson 4 – Set Goals.

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Clients Client Small Firm Sketching 52

Life of an Architect

JULY 19, 2014

The general consensus from the feedback on that article was that I was wasn’t wrong … I would like to add a few more chapters to the topic of architectural interns and demonstrate that being an architectural intern doesn’t always have to be a mostly empty experience of model building and material library organizing.

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Architecture Small Firm Students Firms 95

Life of an Architect

OCTOBER 11, 2015

Architectural schools are often staffed with educators who are ill at ease actually practicing in the “real world”. They find refuge in academia with its impressionable young students eager to learn what they have to say (since their prospective clients were not interested). What a thought!

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Architect Education Client Clients 102

Life of an Architect

NOVEMBER 8, 2015

When I decided to select “My First Project” as a topic for this month’s ArchiTalks topic, I knew instantly which project I would choose to focus on – not because it’s so good, but because I had all sorts of attachments that I could refer to (which is an important consideration when writing an architectural blog).

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Life of an Architect

FEBRUARY 9, 2014

When I first started architecture school as a freshman in college, I didn’t have the focus or maturity I needed to tackle the curriculum and I ended up having a serious identity crisis when I was 19 years old. Deciding to write this blog has in many ways become a watershed moment for me in my career. I’m 19.

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Architect Education Architecture Students 112

Life of an Architect

JUNE 22, 2014

Home / Blog / #ArchiSketch #ArchiSketch Bob Borson — June 23, 2014 — 22 Comments As an architect, I tend to communicate through sketching – which is starting to make me a bit of a relic. Sharp Bob, As a recent graduate of architecture school – I’m proud to call myself an avid sketch artist.

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Sketching Architect Events Concept 94

Life of an Architect

APRIL 6, 2014

I’m not sure I would have made this observation had I not started writing this blog and posting my sketches for others to view. Over the last four years, I have published a handful of articles where I share my thoughts and observations on the process and value that I believe sketching offers an architect. Whats your guess.

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Sketching Architect Architecture Technique 111

Life of an Architect

FEBRUARY 18, 2014

Home / Blog / Photo’s #frommydesk Photo’s #frommydesk Bob Borson — February 19, 2014 — 18 Comments “ What it’s like to be and work with an architect ” … that’s the unofficial tagline for LifeofanArchitect.com – my little experiment I started just over 4 years ago.

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Sketching Architect IT Site 93

Life of an Architect

FEBRUARY 27, 2014

You will get to do just about everything sooner rather than later – attend client meetings, contribute to the design, prepare construction drawings, organize and process bidding and negotiating information, and go to job sites. In the article ‘ Big or Small: What’s the Right Sized Firm for You?

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Small Firm Architect Firms Architecture 105

Life of an Architect

MAY 7, 2014

Architectural Studio – 4 Questions Architectural Studio – 4 Questions Bob Borson — May 8, 2014 — 30 Comments A large percentage of the articles I write on this site are the result of receiving the same sorts of questions over and over again. Not just with clients, but colleagues as well.

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Architect Architecture Students Architecture Student 87

Life of an Architect

DECEMBER 11, 2013

Fast forward a few years – the college process is now complete and architectural schools are churning out extremely creative graduates, ready to take on the design world … except few graduates will actually get to work on “BIG IDEA” design projects. Which would explain why I’m at this blog.

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Life of an Architect

MARCH 9, 2014

Part of the reason I asked Dariusz to pen this article was because he works in a highly sought after large office and would have the perspective I was looking to share. Here is the list that Dariusz put together for me: Top 5 Reasons to work in a Large Architecture Firm: 1. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.'

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Architecture Firm Firms Small Firm Architecture 102

Life of an Architect

OCTOBER 9, 2013

It was a big inspiration to me during architecture school. Thanks for the article and the link. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.' link] This has some really rich student work – drawings and models. That was a great lesson for “young” Bob to learn. Send to Email Address. Your Email Address.

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Architecture Sketching Students Events 111

EntreArchitect

MARCH 24, 2013

I hope these articles have been helpful. I tell clients that we could design a successful project with nothing more than a scope of work and site plan. This is true, but it is only after listening to our clients hopes, needs and dreams that we can take each project to its pinnacle. Listen carefully. Estimate often.

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Management Project Schematic Design Architect 52

Life of an Architect

OCTOBER 23, 2013

Cheers, Consider sharing More Email Digg Print Share on Tumblr In Life in General , Observations , Travel a day in the life , about bob , Architecture School , bob borson , Travel , traveling Graphic Standards heard around the. i gotta say im so happy that i found your blog. good timing for your article today!

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Architecture Student Students Architect Architecture 80

Life of an Architect

OCTOBER 20, 2013

For the purposes of today’s article, I am going to assume that all architectural drawings are correct and serve their purpose of conveying intent, scope and quantity. When I graduated from architecture school in 199[mumble-mumble], computers were not that prevalent. Great article as per usual. Rob Kuhn Also?

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Architect Architecture Firms IT 111

Life of an Architect

MARCH 30, 2014

Almost any article you read regarding energy-efficient construction, how tight the house is to air leakage is a huge consideration in the final thermal performance. But that’s a different discussion for a different article. It would definitely be interesting to see a more in-depth article on the pros/cons of this construction.

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Structure Building Architect Construction 99

EntreArchitect

JULY 24, 2018

And I said, well, you know, when I went to sleep at night, really my whole life, I’ve thought about how a chair gets made or a roof gets put on, you know, when I was 16 I was thinking this way, said, okay, so I’ll go to architecture school. And one is stylistically defaulting to a high modernist fine arts architecture.

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Architecture Architect Small Firm Firms 52

Life of an Architect

SEPTEMBER 29, 2013

Brandon Tyler Carr I’m still in Architecture School, so this post will pretty much broaden my arena for studio. Now I may have to post on my own blog…nice distraction. I couldn’t be more thrilled to open this article and see that album listed. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.'

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Architect Site IT Firms 79

Life of an Architect

NOVEMBER 12, 2013

I personally feel that having fewer licensed architects is bad for the profession because good designers will go unlicensed and clients will start to recognize (correctly) that they can hire unlicensed designers who are equally qualified to do the work. Brett Bouwer Very Interesting article. Jason really great article.

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